OECD Recommendation
Preserve the integrity of the public procurement system through general standards and procurement specific safeguards.
- Require high standards of integrity for all stakeholders in the procurement cycle (integrity frameworks or codes of conducts).
- Implement general public sector integrity tools and tailor them to the specific risks of the procurement cycle as necessary.
- Develop training programmes for the procurement workforce.
- Develop requirements for internal controls, compliance measures and anti-corruption programmes for suppliers, including appropriate monitoring.
Related Principles
Risks to public procurement related to integrity include:
- Loss of public money and delivery of substandard products and services through corruption, including bribery, "kickbacks", cartelism, fraud, nepotism, cronyism and clientelism, collusion and bid rigging;
- Fraud and theft of resources, for example through product substitution in the delivery which results in lower quality materials;
- Mismanagement of conflict of interest in the public service and in post-public employment which can lead to undue influence and "capture", resulting in contracts which are unnecessary and/or not aligned with public needs and interests;
- A threat to public health and safety, especially with drug and supply, and infrastructure works; and
- A decrease of public trust in government and public administration.
Related Tools
Country Cases
High standards of integrity for all stakeholders in the procurement cycle
- Code of Conduct for the Queensland (Australia) Public Service
- Committee on Standards in Public Life, United Kingdom
- Conflict of interest guidelines of the Government of Western Australia
- Disclosable conduct as defined by the Australian Public Interest Disclosure Act 2013
- Financial disclosure and conflicts of interest: State of Illinois, United States
- Mexico - The Federal Anti-Corruption Law on Public Procurement
- Principles and code of conduct for procurement in Spain
- Setting clear ethical standards for procurement officials: The 2002 public procurement reform in Turkey
- The Anti-Corruption Strategy of the Austrian Federal Procurement Agency
- The Code of Conduct for Procurement in Canada
- US House of Representatives ethics clauses for consultants
- The Business Integrity Registry of the Ministry of Public Administration (SFP)
- The reform on social witnesses being prepared by the State of Mexico
- Institutional Administration Index in Costa Rica
- ChileCompra’s Code of Ethics in Public Processes
- The Government of Canada’s Integrity Regime
- Ireland – Civil Service Code of Conduct
- Setting clear standards of conduct for public officials
- Mexican ethics code and rules of integrity – provisions related to public procurement
Public sector integrity tools tailored to the specific risks of the procurement cycle
- Conflict of interest management during tender evaluation in Australia
- Efforts to enhance integrity for the Brazil’s 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympic Games
- Four-eyes principle used in the Tappan Zee Bridge Project, New York State (USA)
- Integrity Pacts in India
- Korea’s Bid rigging Indicator Analysis System, BRIAS
- Preventing bid-rigging in Japan
- The Construction Industry Ethics and Compliance Initiative in the United States
- Whistleblower hotline in Austria
- The integrity monitor in the Tappan Zee Bridge Project, New York State
- The Ethics, probity and accountability in procurement manual in Australia
- Key initiatives to professionalise and empower the public procurement workforce in New Zealand and PEMEX
- The United Kingdom’s Gender Duty
- Equal pay certification in Iceland
- Pilot projects to support the internal control system of public procurement in Peru
- Greece - Handling the Corruption Complaints
- Integrity Officers in Austria’s Federal Government
- Italy - Anti-corruption Law and Anti-corruption Plans
- Poland - Government Anti-Corruption Program
- United Kingdom (UK) anti-corruption strategy 2017-2022
- Use of the Commonwealth Contracting Suite in Australia
- Considerations to take into account to solve an apparent conflict of interest in Canada
- Data-mining to identify corruption in public procurement in the European Union
- Germany’s contact persons for corruption prevention
Integrity training programmes for the procurement workforce
- Integrity training in Germany
- Procurement probity plans by the Queensland Government (Australia)
- Specialised training for public procurement in France
- Staff rotation in the German civil service
- The role of the Anti-Corruption Office (OA) in public procurement in Argentina
- Certification frameworks in Croatia
- Gap analysis of training needs in Slovakia
- Procurement competency framework in the United Kingdom and Scotland
- Mandates of the Directorates of the Institute for Professionalisation (Mexico)
- Establishing a certification framework and training programmes in Lithuania
- Degree programs of public procurement in Costa Rica
- Specialised training for public procurement in France
Requirements for internal controls, compliance measures and anti-corruption programmes for suppliers
Reviews
- OECD Joint Learning Study on Morocco: Enhancing Integrity in Public Procurement
- OECD Joint Learning Study on Yemen: Enhancing Integrity in Public Procurement
- OECD Integrity Review of Brazil: Managing Risks for a Cleaner Public Service
- OECD Integrity Review of Italy: Reinforcing Public Sector Integrity, Restoring Trust for Sustainable Growth
- Fighting Bid Rigging in Public Procurement in Colombia
- Fighting Bid Rigging in Public Procurement in Mexico, A Secretariat report on IMSS’ procurement regulations and practices in CFE
- Ensuring integrity throughout IMSS' public procurement cycle (extract of Public Procurement Review – IMSS, Mexico)
- Ensuring integrity throughout ISSSTE’s procurement cycle (extract of Public Procurement Review – ISSSTE, Mexico)
- Enhancing the integrity and transparency of the procurement process in the NAICM project (extract of Public Procurement Review – Mexico Airport)
- Improving Colombia’s management of conflict of interest in public procurement (extract of Public Procurement Review)
OECD work on integrity
- Anti-Bribery Policy and Compliance Guidance for African Companies
- Bribery in Public Procurement
- Committing to Effective Whistleblower Protection
- Compendium of Good Practices for Integrity in Public Procurement
- Guide de conformité et de lutte contre la corruption pour les entreprises africaines
- Guidelines for Fighting Bid Rigging
- Implementing the OECD Principles for Integrity in Public Procurement
- Integrity Framework for Public Investment
- Integrity in Public Procurement: Good Practice from A to Z
- Managing Conflict of Interest in the Public Service
- OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas
- OECD Foreign Bribery Report
- OECD Recommendation on Fighting Bid-rigging in Public Procurement
- OECD Recommendation on Public Integrity
- Preventing Corruption in Public Procurement
- Report to the Council on implementation of the 2012 recommendation on fighting bid-rigging in public procurement
Other institutions’ work on integrity
- Curbing Corruption in Public Procurement – A practical Guide, Transparency International (2014)
- G20 Principles for Promoting Integrity in Public Procurement (2015)
- Guidebook on anti-corruption in public procurement and the management of public finances, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)
- Identifying and Reducing Corruption in Public Procurement in the EU (2013)
- Open Contracting Partnership
- Open Data Charter
- Open Government Partnership
- Transparency in public procurement – moving away from the abstract, Transparency International, OECD Insights (2015)